It's Just That Time of Year Again
by The Wumbologist
Summary: For years now Fairy Tail had dreaded the coming of the month of August. Each and every year, the Fire Dragon Slayer would suddenly become agitated and restless. With the addition of two more Dragon Slayers to the mix however, things will reach a boiling point. Is the end result the product of feelings? Of instinct? Maybe both... A NatsuxWendy story. Rated T for suggestive stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **I'm back with another story! Thanks to everyone who reviewed _Boy's-Friends and Girl's-Friends_; if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? I'm trying something a little different with this one. It'll be released in two parts instead of one giant one. Anyways, on to the story!

* * *

**It's Just That Time of Year Again**

A Fairy Tail story

By The Wumbologist

* * *

For the citizens of Magnolia, Fairy Tail was a constant source of noise. During the course a typical day an average citizen, should they happen to journey near the guild hall, could expect to hear various loud voices and sounds. Sometimes it was a celebration; a party to commemorate a successful mission or a new member, or even just for the sake of having a party. At other times the noises coming from the guild hall were ones that signified fighting; explosions, yells and various crashes and crunches. The rest of the time it was simply the sounds of camaraderie; friends chatting, talking, drinking and laughing during their downtime between missions.

Fairy Tail wasn't known as the strongest and rowdiest guild for nothing, after all; really, all the noise came with the territory. In fact, the noise generated by the hustle and bustle of guild life was a source of comfort for the citizens of Magnolia. The clinking of glasses, the excited murmurs and even the loud bang from a door being blown off of its hinges were all signs that everything was just fine.

For Magnolia, August 7th was a day like any other. Any pedestrian who passed by Fairy Tail during lunchtime could hear the sounds of growling and assume that a fight was breaking out, then happily continue on their way knowing all was right with the world.

In reality, that was only partially true.

A fight was indeed about to start within the guild hall. However, it wasn't the regular good-natured brawl that the rowdy guild members loved so much. In the middle of the guild hall only two stood, Natsu and Gajeel, fiercely staring each other down and growling, fangs bared.

Indeed, something was wrong. Usually four or five others, almost always lead by Gray, would have joined in by now, interrupting the staring match and starting up a melee that would steadily grow until either it reached its conclusion or Erza stepped in to singlehandedly subdue the participants. Rather than being at the center of the action, like he always was, today saw Gray sitting at the bar with Cana, sipping a mug of ice cold beer and muttering softly about "That time of year". Elfman, too, sat at a table quite a ways away from the two Dragon Slayers, instead focusing on a card game with Macao and Wakaba. Even the mighty Erza had chosen to stay out of their way; she stood by the Master, who was perched on the small stage, both watching the two warily.

The members of Fairy Tail couldn't see it but they could feel it; a malicious aura that emanated from the two. One that said _come near me and you'll die._ It was an aura so strong and intimidating that even Lisanna and Romeo, Natsu's two biggest admirers, had decided to maintain a safe distance from him for the day.

As the two Dragon Slayers continued to growl at each other, the sound of footsteps approaching caused Makarov to turn away from the scene to face the source of the footsteps: Romeo.

"Um... Master Makarov... Why are Natsu-nii and Gajeel-nii acting like that?"

It was a simple question really, but not one that the sixth Master knew how exactly to answer. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he contemplated. From beside him, a voice sounded through the air.

"Master, it would seem that this is the first time we've seen Natsu so... hostile."

"You have a point there, Erza." She had indeed made a good observation. For four years now, around early August of every year Natsu suddenly became more and more agitated. Usually this put him in a bad mood; unlike his moods on July 7th when he would get all sad and melancholic, these moods were frustrated, abrasive and sometimes violent, completely unlike the typical Natsu and something that caused the guild members to maintain a healthy distance from the teen. Whenever August rolled around and Natsu entered his mood, he would usually stay away from the guild by taking a mission or even just brooding at home for a few days. Never before, however, had Natsu been like _this_. It had gotten so bad that even _Happy_ had decided to give Natsu some space, choosing to accompany Wendy, Carla and Lucy on a mission that took them out of town for a few days.

The scene in the middle of the guild hall was downright frightening; Makarov could practically see the images of two dragons, their menacing forms tensed and ready to pounce while they stared each other down. Natsu certainly liked to fight but within the guild it was always for fun; this time around, though, Natsu was out for _blood_. It was in the angry look in his eye, the clenching of his teeth, the tightening of his fist. Gajeel, too, was ready to fight a bloody battle, his arms crossed and a daring look in his eye.

_Gajeel! That was the difference!_ It suddenly hit Makarov as he watched the two. Gajeel had only been with the guild for a year (well technically eight years), but though he tried to act intimidating and abrasive he could never hide the fact that he _cared_. When it came to the guild he had always tried his best; he protected everyone with all his might, he fought more fiercely than anyone against their enemies and even his intense rivalry with Natsu was a friendly one, born out of respect and camaraderie and designed to push each other past their limits, though they would never admit it.

So why the sudden shift in attitudes? Today, for some reason, being in the presence of the other had pissed them both off beyond belief. Over the week leading up to the current predicament they had both become more and more agitated; on more than one occasion they were escorted out of the guild by either Erza, Mirajane, the Master or even Gildarts himself, before he left on another mission.

Try as he might the Master couldn't make sense of it. Was it something in the air? Maybe it was the change of seasons? Something in the water, perhaps? Was this another mood swing as a result of being separated from their parents? The fact that they were both Dragon Slayers _had_ to have something to do with it, but...

"You smell that?"

The sudden break in silence jolted the Master from his thoughts, causing him and everyone else in the guild to warily watch the two Dragon Slayers.

"Hmm." An affirmative grunt from Gajeel was the only response as the two began to sniff the air, their deadly staring contest momentarily put aside as they searched out the source of the smell. It was incredibly faint, but sweet; an alluring scent that had sought them out and beckoned them to go towards the source.

Gajeel stopped his search as he realized what it was that was calling to him. He _knew_ what kind of smell that was; there was only one thing it _could_ be... But who could give off a smell so powerful? There was no one who could possibly let out a scent from that far away. Nobody! Except...

"Tch." With a click of his tongue, the Metal Dragon Slayer had turned and walked towards the exit. Oh, he knew exactly what was going on, and damned if he was going to let his instincts get the better of him.

"Oi, you running away?" Natsu's voice issuing an obvious challenge.

Ignoring the sudden urge to turn around and lunge at the pink-haired boy, Gajeel continued to make his way to the door. Before stepping outside he turned partly to give Natsu a hard stare.

"I'm outta here, this ain't worth my time." He paused a moment, thinking silently to himself before speaking again. "Don't do anything stupid, Salamander." And with that, he stalked out of the doors, hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face.

Fairy Tail let out a collective breath as Natsu stared confusedly at the door. A major crisis had been averted; Mavis help them if they had been forced to break up a fight between _those_ monsters. Their relief was short-lived, however, as Natsu made his way through the doors, sniffing the air all the while.

Amidst the sudden murmurs that broke out, Gray's voice had sounded through summing up the guild's collective thoughts in a simple, yet astute question:

"Just... What the hell was that?"

* * *

Lucy was incredibly happy. Not only was their job a resounding success, she came away from it with a bonus on top of the full reward! This was the first time in, well forever, that any of her potential profit hadn't been stolen away by a certain team of inhumanly strong mages. With the payoff from this job she would be able to pay not only this month's rent, but rent for the next two months as well! She could also treat herself to dinner, buy some new clothes, install some mage-proof windows and doors...

She practically beamed a smile at the small blue-haired girl who sat beside her on the train. Wendy was an incredible partner; she was quiet and polite and made great company unlike the headache-inducing crew she usually travelled with. She was no slouch in a fight either, in fact, it was the opposite; between Lucy's spirits and Wendy's Dragon Slayer magic, the Dark Guild members who had tried to steal a magical artifact from their client were handily beaten. The best part was that none of the client's property was broken! Imagine that: a sensible Dragon Slayer! It was a wonder why Lucy had rarely considered partnering with the young girl before.

Lucy set her thoughts aside, turning her head to join the conversation between the two cats beside her.

"Lucy and Wendy weren't the only ones fighting, Carla! I beat up one guy all by myself!" Happy was boasting to the white Exceed beside him.

"You bit him in the leg after Wendy had already knocked him out..." Carla responded, arms folded across her chest.

"Oh, s-so you saw that..." Well, there went his attempts to impress her.

Lucy laughed at the sheepish look that took over Happy's face. She brought her hand down on top of the blue cat's head, giving him a quick scratch behind the ear.

"Maybe next time you can try fighting someone who isn't unconscious, Happy. That way you'll actually have something to brag about to Carla." She winked at him, revelling in the pout that made its way on to his face. Teasing Happy wasn't something she got to do often; usually it was the blue cat making remarks that would embarrass her.

"You know, you could try asking Lily for help... I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you some pointers." She couldn't help the mischievous tone in her voice. No way was she letting up that easily!

"In fact, with enough practice you might even be able to transform like he can! It'll probably be a while though before you'll be able to fight like him though..." Happy had a put out look on his face; this was too good!

"Don't look so down, Happy. At least you tried." Surprisingly it was Carla who had come to his rescue. The white cat turned her head to give Lucy a disapproving look. "If I remember correctly, you had tried to use your body to distract the Dark Mages so you could run away."

That had caught Lucy off-guard. Time for defense mode: "There were so many! I didn't want to put Wendy in more danger than was necessary, plus I didn't want to risk damaging our client's property!" Best to diffuse the situation before Happy picked up on something he could use against her.

"Your plan didn't even work... They just laughed at you and started hurling spells at us."

"It's not my fault they couldn't appreciate my sex appeal!" She was getting frustrated now.

"What sex appeal?" Damn, there it was. The quick comment by Happy was all it took to reverse their positions; now Happy had the mischievous grin and Lucy was suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Those stupid Dark Mages! She had on her best perfume, a short skirt and a low-cut tank top but despite her most provocative poses she was met with a chorus of laughter. How dare those jerks! Couldn't they recognize true beauty when they saw it?! They could've at least thrown her a compliment before pelting her with lightning bolts...

"I don't even know why you bother anymore, Lucy. You've tried it a million times and it never does anything... Maybe it's time to face the fact that you just aren't sexy." Happy was certainly enjoying himself now. She wanted to strangle him.

"I AM sexy!" she protested. "Just because those jerks didn't think so doesn't mean I'm not! I'll have you know I've gotten huge discounts because of my attractiveness!"

"A 20 jewel discount on rent isn't much to brag about, Lucy." She mentally slapped herself; Happy had been there when she had tried to seduce her landlord into lowering the price of her apartment.

"A-Anyways, it's not like we needed to distract them! Wendy and I were more than enough to take care of those guys! Right Wendy?" She needed some help, badly. Hopefully Wendy would be able to save her from any more embarrassment.

No response.

"Uh, Wendy?" the small Dragon Slayer was looking intently out the window, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred.

"Wendy! Hey! Are you okay?" concern laced Lucy's voice now, her frustration suddenly forgotten. She waved her hand in front of the young girl's face.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Lucy-san. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were alright. You were staring out the window..."

"Oh I'm fine. It's just..." Wendy trailed off, debating silently with herself before starting up again. "Do... do any of you smell anything?"

"Uh, no. Nothing unusual." Lucy turned to look at Carla, who was sniffing the air intently.

"I don't smell anything either." Carla looked slightly worried as she watched Wendy.

"Um... That might have been me." Happy's sheepish interjection startled the three. "I was hoping that nobody would notice; I even took the trouble to float over to the corner!"

"That... Wasn't what I was talking about, Happy." Wendy took a moment to sniff the air again before shaking her head. "Sorry, I guess it was just me then."

Lucy and Carla exchanged worried glances, ignoring the relieved sigh that came from the blue Exceed. True, they hadn't been able to smell anything but they weren't Dragon Slayers. The nose of a Dragon Slayer was on a completely different level; if Natsu was here he would have certainly been able to smell whatever it is that had fixated Wendy...

At his name, Lucy's thoughts turned to the reason why she had gone on this mission in the first place. Six days ago Natsu began acting strange, restlessly stalking around the guild hall and picking fights with everyone before Erza had kicked him out.

Five days ago, Gray had grabbed her arm and gently led her to a quiet corner of the guild hall. Ignoring the wide smile from Mirajane and the jealous stare of Juvia, he had asked her to take a job that would take her out of town for a few days. When she had asked why, he simply shook his head and told her it would be better to steer clear of Natsu for the next week or so. He had also urged her to go before "volcano-head" decided to show up.

She had headed to the requests board, where she coincidentally met up with Wendy. The young Dragon Slayer had been itching to go on a job out of town; the day before on a visit to old Porlyusica she had been advised to travel and "get some fresh" air for a few days. Thus, the two had decided to team up for a high-paying job and, after a quick stop at home to pack where she found Happy napping on her bed, the four had set off on their mission.

"_Lucy, you better stay out of his way for the next few days..."_ The words echoed in her mind. Just what was going on that made Natsu so frustrated? It was so bad that even his teammates didn't want anything to do with him... From her talk with Gray, it seemed that this happened every year.

Lucy sighed, sneaking a quick glance at Wendy as she stared out the window. The closer to Magnolia they got, the stronger the smell it seemed.

Whatever it was, she hoped it would pass and things would return to normal by time they got to town.

* * *

**More Notes: **So, as I've said before, I've decided to split this into two chapters instead of one big one. I think it'll be easier to read that way; if that does turn out to be the case then I'll go back and revise _Boy's-Friends and Girl's-Friends_ (which I've been meaning to do anyways). And yes, I had to do another one. NatsuxWendy is just too damn good.

I'm not really sure about the plot. I had this idea a while back and since I received so many good reviews for my first story I decided I might as well write this one up too. It... Shouldn't really be a surprise as to where this thing is going since I've dropped a lot of hints but don't worry; this is rated T after all.

Also, can someone tell me what the big deal about RoWen is? I've noticed a lot of stories pairing Wendy with Romeo. Why is this? I don't believe he's said anything to her in the manga/anime, ever. Is it because they're close in age (after the timeskip)? Do they just look cute together? Is it because he's a Natsu wanna-be/mini-Natsu?

Anyways, I really, really appreciate your support. I also love PMs and reviews; especially those that tell me how I did. How was the plot? The characters? Did the story flow well? Was there anything I could've done better? Tell me and I'll give you a cookie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Good news, everyone! I lied about this being two chapters! It's actually going to be three! Thanks so much to all who reviewed, followed and favorited! You can expect the final chapter before the week is over! With that said, on to the story!

* * *

**It's Just That Time of Year Again**

Chapter 2

By The Wumbologist

* * *

The sight of Natsu running around town wasn't anything new; by now the town of Magnolia was used to the infectious grins, loud voices and energetic personalities of the boy and his small blue cat. The sight of Natsu today however, head tilted upwards and sniffing the air intently, was definitely _not_ normal. Bystanders could only watch in confusion as he turned a corner into a side street, a seemingly random path guided by... his nose?

_It's getting stronger._ He sniffed the air again. The faint scent he had noticed in the guild hall was much stronger now than it was at first... It was calling to him, an alluring scent that tickled his nostrils, hastened his heartbeat and pulled at every fiber of his being. Reaching the end of the alleyway he had entered, he stopped again to smell the air. After a short while he turned again and started down the street, ignoring the bewildered stares to follow his nose to wherever it led him. _That dumb Gajeel,_ he thought, _I can't believe he'd go in the opposite direction. This scent is too good!_

At another whiff of the mystery smell, any thoughts of the Metal Dragon Slayer had left his mind. Natsu was a man on a mission; he was resolved to find the source of that wonderful smell. The scent had permeated his being and had taken over his senses. With every step he was getting _that_ much closer to the origin.

* * *

_3:17 PM_... Lucy looked up from her watch to the small blue-haired girl walking in front of her. They had arrived at the train station about an hour ago and made a quick stop at a small café for lunch. Normally they would have parted ways following lunch and headed home to relax but something was _definitely_ strange about Wendy.

During lunch she was unusually quiet and distant, focused on what Lucy had assumed to be the smell she had mentioned earlier. Immediately following lunch she had left without saying a word, wandering down the street with her eyes closed and her nose in the air. After exchanging another set of worried glances with Carla, Lucy and the two cats had decided to follow the young girl to wherever her destination lay; though the three had no idea what was going on, there was no way they were going to leave Wendy alone.

Any attempts to talk to Wendy had ended in failure; the girl was so fixated on following the scent that she had ignored the three and so, almost half an hour now they had followed the girl in uncomfortable silence. Secretly, Lucy wished that Wendy would find whatever it was she was looking for... The heels she was currently wearing were _not_ suited for walking.

"_If you can't walk in 'em then what's the point?"_ Natsu's voice echoed in her head as she pouted. Natsu, with his dirty travelling clothes and oversized scarf was an unrefined mess. There was no way he could understand the hardships of being a woman and trying to look presentable... She doubted he even knew what "looking presentable" meant. The teen had absolutely no sense for fashion!

Wendy's sudden stillness broke Lucy from her tangent. Her secret wish had been granted, apparently, as Wendy had seemingly found what she had been looking for. Walking slowly to stand beside the young girl, she followed her intense gaze to an intersection up ahead. Whatever Wendy was waiting for would be coming soon.

Lucy could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down her forehead as she watched the intersection. She felt a sense of apprehension; what could it be that would cause Wendy to act so weird? She heard a small gasp as a pink-haired figure rounded the corner, his demeanor mirroring Wendy's only moments before.

"Natsu?" It was Happy who meekly called out to him. Normally the Exceed would be ecstatic at seeing his best friend but he wasn't sure if Natsu was over his mood yet... It was the reason he broke into Lucy's apartment to take a nap. After all, who could sleep with Natsu constantly tossing and turning and complaining during the night?

The Fire Dragon Slayer didn't say a word as he approached them. He wore an intense look, one that completely unnerved Lucy as he came to stand in front of the group. The two parties exchanged stares, but Lucy could only look at her feet as she felt Natsu's gaze pass over her. He was studying them; he was searching for something... Whatever it was _had_ to have been the same thing that attracted Wendy.

"Natsu, wha- EEEK!" She had just opened her mouth to say something when she was cut off by Natsu, who had taken a step forward to stand directly in front of her. He was in her personal space now but it was clear from the look in his eyes that it didn't matter to him at the moment; heedless of the blush that appeared on her face he began to sniff at the air around her.

Lucy could only stand in stunned silence at the strange behavior. Natsu certainly wasn't a normal guy; really, nobody at Fairy Tail was anything you could consider "normal". But _this_. Getting right in her face! Smelling her like she was a bottle of shampoo! This was bizarre behavior, even for Natsu. Just what the hell did the first week of August do to him...?

A dissatisfied grunt caused her to turn her head to follow him as he continued his inspection. Whatever he was looking for, he didn't find it in her... She couldn't help but sigh in relief as Natsu turned his scrutinizing gaze on the two cats; first glossing over Happy then fixing on an obviously unnerved Carla. It was only a short while before he grunted again, obviously not happy with the results.

It was then that he turned to face Wendy; the younger Dragon Slayer showed no signs of being intimidated, however. To Lucy's surprise Wendy was staring straight back at the older boy, their intense gazes mirroring each other as they stared intently. When he leaned in to inhale her scent she did the same; wordlessly they proceeded to explore the other, ignoring the three standing right beside them.

Lucy could only stare. This was _weird_. Too weird. Here she was standing in the middle of the street, watching as her two friends _sniffed_ each other. She looked over at the two cats; Carla held a dumbfound expression, clearly she was as confused as Lucy. Happy, on the other hand, was hiding a chuckle underneath his paw. She didn't even have to ask what was so funny as the blue cat suddenly spoke up.

"They llllllllllllliiiiiiiike each other!"

Lucy sighed. Happy _would_ make an observation like that. Didn't that damned cat have anything better to do than make people feel awkward? When she turned her head to watch the two Dragon Slayers, however, Happy's statement suddenly didn't seem so farfetched...

_Two Dragon Slayers..._ The gears were turning in Lucy's head.

_Strong smells..._

_Weird behavior..._

_Agitated Natsu..._

"_Whenever early August rolls around he suddenly starts PMSing..." _Gray's warning played in her head.

_Oh no... It couldn't be..._

"I never knew you smelled so good Wendy!" Natsu drew back from the young girl, a satisfied smile gracing his face.

"You too, Natsu-san... Did you do anything different today?" She smiled timidly at him.

He shook his head. "Not that I remember... Oh, I did take a bath yesterday. Maybe it's the soap!"

Lucy was mortified. _It's definitely NOT the soap you idiot!_

Natsu broke into a wide grin as an idea suddenly hit him. "Say, Wendy, wanna hang out with me today?"

_Say no! Come on Wendy! Deny him!_ "I'd love to, Natsu-san!" _Damn it, Wendy!_

He held out his arm and she took it as the two happily began walking down the street, leaving a panicked Lucy and the two cats behind.

"Hey! You two! Where are you going? You can't just leave us here!" Lucy was protesting but her words fell on deaf ears; the two Dragon Slayers ignored her as they made their way down the street.

"Lucy is jealous!" A laugh sounded from beside her. Looking down, she found Happy giggling while nudging Carla with his elbow.

The nerve! Did Happy really not see what was going on here? This was no time for his stupid jokes! A young girl's innocence was on the line! Lucy was fuming now... One more word out of him and she would punt kick him into the horizon!

Fortunately for Happy, he was saved from Lucy's wrath by a timely intervention from Carla. "You idiot! This is no time for jokes! We have to stop them before things get out of hand!" He scratched his head sheepishly at the rebuke. Happy clearly didn't understand the situation; in fact, he was frustratingly carefree about it. There was no time to explain, however. With a quick glance at Lucy, the two sped off in the direction of the Dragon Slayers.

It only took a few seconds for Lucy and Carla to catch up to the two who walked arm-in-arm. Wasting no time Lucy had made her move, reaching her hand out to them.

"Natsu! Wendy! You two can't-"

The moment she had touched Wendy's small shoulder she had regretted it. An oppressive and nasty aura had suddenly surrounded the two Dragon Slayers; it was too much for the poor blonde, whose face paled as she felt the strength draining from her legs and sunk to the ground. From her kneeling position on she looked up to see the menacing glares of the two, fierce growls emanating from both of them.

Lucy, on her part, was _terrified_. Her two good friends, both beloved in the guild for their amicable personalities and the joy their mere presences brought, were standing there _growling_ at her. At any other time the prospect of Wendy growling would have made her coo at how cute it was, but _this_ was nothing like what Lucy would have imagined. The glare Wendy shot at Lucy was a murderous one that she had no idea the small girl was even capable of making; it was a glare with a clear message: _Don't interfere._

She could feel herself tear up at the fear that had suddenly consumed her. When they faced her, eyes narrowed and fangs bared, she could literally _see_ the presence of two dragons behind them; one, a pure red that exhaled a plume of fire with every breath, and the other, a brilliant white that could blow away an entire town with the flap of its wings.

By Mavis, was _this_ what Natsu's enemies saw when they pissed him off?

Her eyes were scrunched closed, the overwhelming pressure she felt tempting her to curl up into a ball and cry. But as suddenly as it had come on, the menacing aura she had felt from being in close proximity had ceased and she looked up shakily to see the two Dragon Slayers happily headed on their way. Their bright smiles were an eerie and unnerving contrast to the dark sneers from only seconds ago. She began taking deep breaths, willing herself to calm down.

"Lucy... Are you okay?" Happy, who had made his way over to her after the horrifying display, was obviously worried for her well-being. At her silence, he glanced over at an equally shocked Carla before trying again.

"Lucy! Hey! They're gone..." He tugged at her arm in an attempt to shake her out of her stupor.

_They're gone._.. That was true in more than one sense of the word. Lucy knew she couldn't reach them now. None of them could. Who in their right mind would have enough fortitude to stare _those _monsters in the face, much less separate them...

It was then that the answer became clear. Lucy wasn't strong enough to stand up to Natsu. Even with the combined might of her Celestial Spirits she would never be able to reign in the rampaging dragon, and she was damned happy that she didn't have to. There was one person in the guild that made it her duty to keep Natsu in check; the only one who could possibly put a stop to this madness...

Suddenly jumping to her feet, Lucy began to sprint in the direction of the guild hall. Heels be damned, she _had_ to make it in time.

Only one word escaped her lips as she ran.

"**E-E-E-E-ERZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**"

* * *

**More Notes: **Originally I had planned to have this chapter end the story but halfway through I realized it would be too long. The end result is the "To Be Continued..." ending you see here. Also, if you haven't seen it yet, I revised my other story, Boy's-Friends and Girl's-Friends; I split it into two chapters for easier reading. If you haven't seen it yet (or you just love it so much you want to read it again), then please check it out! It's another NatWen story, and since you're here I know you love that pairing!

And now, to reply to some of the reviews I received:

Sable1212: I'm glad you like this pairing; the more support, the better! Nice observation about Laxus, I'll definitely include it in the next chapter!

Andore-kun: Thanks so much for your support, it means a lot to me for you to have read both of my stories and have praise for them. I do love reviews and I'd always appreciate having more but I'm not too worried about getting a hundred reviews every time I post a new chapter. The whole reason I started writing was because I wanted to explore alternate pairings and situations; I'm a guy who, for some reason, doesn't really like the "canon" or "popular" pairings for any given medium, whether it be anime, game, etc. So, I'm more than happy that I can make something to cater to the people like me, and for the people who are hungering for something different from the mundane (I'm looking at you, Lucy leaves the guild for x years and comes back as a vampire/dragon slayer/badass/lesbian!)

Not to bash anyone though, obviously. Everyone has their preferences and it's fantastic that people want to write things for their favorite pairings. I'm just in it to try something different, and maybe inspire a few people along the way.

FaiRy-TaiL-MaGe202: Indeed, I didn't think I had it in me; I'm really liking how things are turning out though, as well as the support I'm getting. About Romeo, it certainly seems that way, doesn't it? Pairing them together just because they're close in age... It doesn't make sense to me. It seems like the more we talk about this though, the more we're going to end up character bashing Romeo (which wasn't my intention in the first place, even though I was a little mean to him :P). I was just curious; I wanted to know if there was some plot point I was missing or something. Guess not...

I am Awesome: You _are_ awesome and I love you too. I'd love you more though if you made an account and followed/favorited me :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Good news, everyone! I lied again about this being three chapters! I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do with this story and I found that ending it right now would be kind of abrupt; I wouldn't be able to fit everything I wanted to in this chapter. So, the story will continue! For how long? Probably one or two chapters, but not even I know...

I missed my self-imposed deadline by a few hours; if you were waiting up all night for this chapter then I'm sorry. Really, I am. It took me a bit to really get going and to turn this chapter into something I liked. But I did learn not to get ahead of myself; next time I'll actually plan out my stories instead of writing whatever comes into my head at the time.

Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who viewed, reviewed, favorited and followed. I'm amazed by the support I'm getting; you guys are the best!

* * *

**It's Just That Time of Year Again**

Chapter 3

By The Wumbologist

* * *

"Oh. So?"

Gray had to fight back a yawn as he rested his chin on his hand.

When Lucy had burst into the guild hall, sweaty, out of breath and yelling something about "mating season", the Ice Mage had been obviously worried. He had immediately gone to her side, helping her to a nearby bench and instructing her to take some deep breaths before she spoke.

When she had told him about her encounter with Natsu, about his bizarre behavior and about the reason behind why he acted so strange every August, Gray had been intrigued. Partly because he was curious as to where Natsu had gone after the scene he made earlier in the day, and partly because one of Fairy Tail's greatest mysteries had been solved; he had made a mental note to spread the word around the guild after he was done with Lucy.

However, when she had told him that Natsu had taken Wendy somewhere and was most likely going to do "something teenagers should _not_ be doing" Gray just couldn't bring himself to care very much; not that he had tried very hard, mind.

It was painfully obvious from the look on the blonde's face, however, that his nonchalance was _not_ appreciated. In fact, at his response Lucy had gone from worried to incredulous in no time flat.

"Gray, how can you not see the problem here?!" Lucy was yelling, clearly frustrated with him.

Gray, however, paid no mind. "I don't see what the big deal is. Why should I care what or who Natsu does in his spare time?"

He gave a small laugh before continuing. "Besides, this'll be good for Flame Brain; maybe afterwards he'll go back to his usual, idiotic self." Oh yes, he was waiting for the day the dumb dragon went back to normal; with everyone on edge it had been far too long since their last brawl... He was itching to beat the pink-head senseless and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Lucy, however, didn't share his sentiments at all. She continued to yell, heedless of the attention that she was drawing.

"You should care, Gray! Wendy is just a little girl! There's no way we can let Natsu just take advantage of her like that!" From beside her, Carla nodded in approval. It was clear to the young man that this was an issue that they just weren't going to let go of.

He let out a sigh. If this had been about anyone other than the two Dragon Slayers he would have been on Lucy's side but this was a different situation; the problem was explaining it in a way that would get Lucy to stop yelling in his ear...

"It just doesn't feel right; interfering with them. What's happening right now is... natural." He paused, trying to find the right words to support his point. "It's like it was meant to happen; they attracted each other and now they're off doing whatever dragons do. Those Dragon Slayers are different from us in some weird ways, Lucy. Hell, you said it yourself that they looked happy together..."

"Aye!" Happy, who had been quietly listening to the conversation thus far, suddenly decided it was a good time to lend Gray his support. "I think it's romantic; out of everyone they could have attracted, they found each other. They must be soul mates!"

That... wasn't really the point he was trying to make but he was grateful for the support regardless.

"Absolutely not!" Carla interjected suddenly, her face scrunched in indignation. "Wendy is NOT a dragon! She is a little girl who should be spending time with friends or doing jobs for the guild, not participating in this... 'mating season'. It's disgusting and I won't stand for it!"

Lucy nodded vigorously. "I can't believe you two! What would you do if Wendy got hurt? What if she gets PREGNANT?! She's way too young to become a mother!"

Well, crap, now _that_ was a possibility. A Natsu Junior... He already had enough trouble dealing with the original, but _two_ of them? He could see it now: Natsu and his miniature doppelganger running around the guild hall breathing fire everywhere, yelling at the top of their lungs and playing stupid tricks on everyone. That was a disaster waiting to happen; there was no way he would be able to handle that himself...

"If that does happen then I'll just have to have a son of my own! Like hell I'm going to let that bastard and his demon spawn do whatever they want! Me and Lil' G are gonna beat the crap outta them!"

It was a perfect plan; he would take Lil' G out to the mountains, they would strip down to their underwear and run laps in the snow, and soon after he would start teaching him the basics of Ice Magic. He would raise Lil' G to be the best damn Ice Make user there ever was! Then all they would have to do would be to return to the guild and lay a father-son beatdown on the dumb dragon and his goofy kid... It was a perfect plan!

A voice broke him away from his thoughts. "Gray-sama! Juvia heard everything! Oh, to see Gray-sama fantasizing about life as a parent! Juvia thinks Gray-sama will make an excellent father!"

Juvia was getting excited; he could practically see the stars in her eyes. Whatever she was going to say next, he had the feeling that he wouldn't like. "Gray-sama! Juvia is ready! Let Juvia bear your child! We won't lose to those Dragon Slayers!"

Yep. He didn't like it one bit. Okay, it was a terrible, terrible plan. Having a kid just so he could deal with Natsu and his not-yet-conceived son was not a good idea at all. He couldn't help the tinge of disappointment he felt, however. _Looks like you'll have to wait a couple years Lil' G..._

Fighting the urge to run far, far away from the obsessive Water Mage, he turned to look at the now-exasperated Lucy and Carla. At times like these, he found, it was best to just ignore Juvia; eventually she would fantasize herself into a stupor and he would be able to get some breathing room.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, anyways... You two are just assuming that they're going to do it. Natsu isn't the type of guy to do those kinds of things and Wendy is way too shy to even think about that stuff."

"Are you willing to take that chance, Gray?" A sharp voice suddenly interjected. "You would normally be right, but these aren't normal circumstances."

"Erza!" Lucy was obviously ecstatic; there was finally someone to take this seriously.

And she was serious, indeed. The Titania had come to join the group with a stern expression etched on her face. "Natsu certainly isn't the type to chase women, but right now he isn't being himself; he's being driven by instinct and that may lead him down a path that no one is ready for. The same is true for Wendy, as well. As their friends, we cannot allow them to give in to their desires and commit a mistake."

Her tone was final, leaving no room for discussion. She looked around the small circle, sizing up each member before speaking again. "We've wasted enough time talking; if we're going to stop them then we have to leave now. We'll split up into three groups of two and search the town."

_Screw that!_ Erza clearly hadn't been listening to him. What gave them the right to interfere in Natsu's relationships? And more importantly, what gave them the right to tear him away from his drinking?

A sudden chill broke him from his thoughts, causing him to look up in surprise. He was an Ice Mage damn it; he did _not_ get cold. Looking around confusedly, he saw the source: Erza was glaring daggers at him. The damn woman must have read his mind...

"Alright, alright. I got it..." He sighed in resignation. _No getting out of this one_...

"Juvia sees the look in your eye, Lucy!" The sudden declaration caused him to look over at his stalker, who was glaring at the Celestial Spirit Mage.

"W-What are you talking about?" The blonde was clearly surprised at the attention, meeting Juvia's glare with a confused stare of her own.

"Juvia knows your tricks! As expected, Juvia's love rival was planning to partner with Gray-sama and have his child while they were alone! Juvia won't let that happen! Juvia will be the one to group with Gray-sama and bear his child!"

Gray and Lucy could only stare in stunned silence at the Water Mage. Juvia always had some crazy fantasy, but a competition with Lucy for having his child? _Seriously_? The stalking he could put up with; it was harmless enough. But _this_... This was way too far. He would have to have a talk with Juvia and draw a line, before she tried to eat him or something.

After an awkward few seconds he managed to find his voice.

"... Can I have a different partner?"

* * *

"Natsu-san! This way!"

Wendy waved excitedly at the Fire Dragon Slayer from the top of the grassy hill she was standing on. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the older boy making his way up the hill; they were close now to the top and it was almost time... She wanted things to be perfect when she showed him her favorite place in town.

As she watched him, she allowed her thoughts to turn to the afternoon they had spent together. Almost immediately after they had met Natsu had practically dragged her to his house where he excitedly showed her around. He bragged about the garden he planted; despite Happy's constant teasing he had managed to make something grow! He complained about the repairs he needed to do; the door was creaky, there were vines growing on his roof and when it rained sometimes a huge puddle would appear in the middle of the floor. He even made her his favorite dish; the curry had turned out to be way too spicy for her to eat, but she appreciated the thought.

Her favorite part, though, was when he showed her the trophies mounted on the wall of his bedroom. There were various souvenirs from every single mission he had ever taken and for each one there was an interesting story to tell. There was a necklace from Galuna Island; the demons from the village had given it to him as a present after Natsu had helped break their curse. There was some rubble from the Magic Council building which he had partially destroyed when rushed in to break Erza out of prison. There was even a small piece of the Lacrima he destroyed on Nirvana during his fight with Zero!

She had listened with admiration as he fondly recounted his adventures. Natsu spoke with such passion, such excitement, that she couldn't help but give him her full attention. The sparkle in his eyes, the enthusiasm and confidence he carried himself with, the tender feelings he communicated through his storytelling; the souvenirs he had collected over the years gave her an opportunity to see the aspects of Natsu that she adored.

When they had left, she had lingered a moment to stare longingly at the wall. Though the house was unkempt, dirty and in complete disarray, she felt the warmth emanating from every corner of the building; it was a true "home" in every sense of the word. Secretly she had wondered if she would ever have a place in Natsu's home as well.

He had then taken her on a stroll through East Forest. It was a place that he knew well; he and Happy would travel the forest all the time looking for monsters to fight or gathering fruits and herbs. The fact that the forest was home to all sorts of strange plants and magical creatures did nothing to stop the older Dragon Slayer from fooling around.

She couldn't help but laugh when Natsu fell into the fishing hole, a result of him trying to do a handstand on a fallen tree that stretched from one end to the other. At first he had looked embarrassed, but his face quickly took on a mischievous grin as he tried to splash her with water, yelling "Wings of the Water Dragon!" the entire time. He had even gathered up some water in his cheeks, chasing her through the forest and trying to spray her with his "Roar of the Water Dragon!".

By the time they had both dried off, the sun had begun to set. She knew it was about time to head home but she didn't want to leave him. Though it was only for a short few hours, her time with Natsu had been the best time of her life; the boy was a source of constant cheer, always with a dumb joke to tell or an enthusiastic grin to share. She wanted to hang around with him more but she couldn't invite him to her room; Fairy Hills had a strict "No boys allowed!" policy. She didn't want to head into town either; this was the first time she and Natsu had spent time alone and she wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.

It was then that an idea came to her; she knew exactly where to go and had insisted that Natsu accompany her. To her relief the teen was intrigued and followed her excitedly, curiosity overtaking him as he tried to guess where she was leading him.

"Whoa! How did you find this place Wendy?" Natsu's excited voice brought her back from her reminiscing.

She watched, delighted, as Natsu stared in awe at the scene before them. It was evening now; the sun had just set beyond the horizon, allowing the first few stars to be seen in the night sky. Before them lay the splendor of the town they called home; the grassy hill they stood upon gave them a perfect view of the diverse landscape, from the mountains in the far west to the sea in the south. Underneath the rising moon, Magnolia town was illuminated by countless lights; the cathedral, the guild hall, even the train station were all alight with a soothing glow and the result was breathtaking.

_This_ was Wendy's favorite place. A secluded spot to be alone with her thoughts. A romantic view of Magnolia, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The skies stretched out endlessly. The winds blew pure and freely. For her, this was heaven on earth, and she was here sharing it with the person she adored.

"Do you like it, Natsu-san?" She prodded him quietly.

"It's awesome! I can't believe there was such an amazing place right near the town!" His enthusiastic response made her heart leap. She was able to show him a good time! This was going better than she could have hoped for!

As the older boy looked on in wonder at the town, a gentle breeze blew through the area. Wendy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, losing herself in her senses. Here on this isolated hill the air was fresh and pure, untouched by the smells of the town below. There were no hints of exhaust from the train or of alcohol and magic from the guild. The only traces on the air were of grass, the sky, and Natsu.

She took another deep breath. The smell of Natsu... It had drawn her before; she had easily picked it out from the hodgepodge of other smells in the town. Here, away from the scents of everyday life however, his unique smell hit her full on. The scent of earth, of nature, of smoke and fire.

It was good. It was_ really_ good. Natsu's scent had filled her nostrils, overtaking her senses and driving her wild. An intoxicating aroma... She wanted more! She wanted to press herself against him. To bury her face in the crook of his neck. To kiss him passionately and declare her love for him. He was _right here_ and he was so _close_ and he smelled so _good_...

When she opened her eyes she found herself lying on top of the pink-haired boy, arms around his neck and lips pressed against his own.

She jumped back in surprise, watching as the Fire Dragon Slayer sat up confusedly, touching his fingers to his lips. She had actually done it! She _kissed_ him! To her surprise she didn't feel embarrassed or scared at all; in fact, it was the opposite. She was _hungry_; there were traces of Natsu on her tongue now. The taste of fire, of passion; it was even better than the smell!

Locking gazes with the older boy, she saw the same hunger she felt written all over his face. Just now, they had gotten a taste of one another and it wasn't enough. She felt his eyes run over her as he licked his lips then suddenly, with a low growl he pounced on her, pulling her into a passionate kiss that she eagerly returned.

At another taste of Natsu, strong and pure, all of her thoughts had left her, leaving only her desire to be as close to him as possible. She wanted to burn his very presence into her mind. She wanted to explore every inch of him and show him everything. And at the feeling of his tongue running down her neck, of his warm embrace and his weight on her small frame, she lost herself in her senses once more.

* * *

**More Notes: **So, how was that? Quite the ending eh? Honestly, I wrote and rewrote the first section; at first it was too long, then it wasn't funny enough and then I wasn't sure whether to include it or not at all. I was also waffling on the second part as well; I didn't really like using "the isolated romantic area" as a catalyst for their relationship but I actually really like how the whole section turned out anyways.

Also, I'd like to take a little time to give a shout out to the NatWen story that first introduced me to the pairing and got me to like it. It was called Let My Wind Spread Your Flames; unfortunately, the story was removed from the site a few days ago and the author is gone now. There was only one chapter; the author was also the lead writer (or something like that) for a Megaman fan project called Project Legends and it caused him to put his story on indefinite hiatus. So, it seems that the story will be forever discontinued. So, this paragraph is in remembrance for yet another great story that won't see an end. Good night, sweet prince...

And now, on to the reader responses!

Real Personal Trooper Type-0: Thanks so much for your review! This was EXACTLY the kind of review I was hoping for: you told me what you liked specifically about my story, you talked a bit about what other stories have done, and you gave me some insight into your preferences which really helps me when I write; knowing my audience's preferences is truly a great help.

Honestly, I'm not surprised that this idea has been done before. I haven't seen it before, entirely because I never read NaLu (not even the summaries!). You know, I'm glad you made that comment about the "innocence" thing; you gave me a lot to think about concerning how I wanted things to develop. Actually, it's because of this that I decided to lengthen the story instead of ending it right away. I'm also really glad that this story is different from those other mating season ones. I hope I can keep it up and give it a good ending.

You and me are like two halves of a whole; though I don't know about every anime/manga you listed, but from the ones I do recognize I can tell we have the same tastes. It's really refreshing to know that there are people like me out there in the world!

shadowmarialove: I don't like Lucy very much but surprisingly enough I find her perspective easy to write from. I'm going to take your comment about her as a sign that I did a good job representing her character, so thanks!

For characters I don't like, if they're going to be part of my stories I'm going to do my best to represent them as best as possible. I also won't stoop to character bashing (in the story at least :P).

Deathdakid 6789: You've got the addiction and I've got the goods. I'll be supplying as long as there are people out there buying ;)  
As for an M rated fic, I don't think so. Lemons aren't my thing, unfortunately. I think I left enough in there to feed your imagination though :P

CactusJuiceLoopy: Thanks so much! I'm really glad you like the humor, and the pairing! NatWen needs more love. Way more.

So, the next chapter should be out in a few days. I can't say for sure if I'll be finishing the story next chapter or not, we'll just have to see. As always, please review, follow and favorite! Your support is what sustains me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Happy December, everyone! Christmas is coming up soon. You know what? I really want a Playstation Vita so I can play the Persona 4 remake. New content? Updated visuals? Yes **please**. Unfortunately I'm at that age where I can't really ask for stuff from my parents anymore; hopefully there'll be some good PS Vita sales over the holidays...

And I have to say it every single time: thank you so much to everyone who viewed, reviewed, followed and favorited! The support I'm getting is awesome!

* * *

**It's Just That Time of Year Again**

Chapter 4

By The Wumbologist

* * *

**GONG... GONG... GONG...**

The cathedral bells reverberated throughout the area. It was an hourly occurrence; a tradition that was largely irrelevant thanks to lacrima technology nowadays, but one that the people of Magnolia held on to tightly. The streets of Magnolia were silent as the bells tolled, save for a lone figure with scarlet hair and a small white cat beside her.

Erza tapped her foot impatiently as the ringing stopped. 8 gongs... It was 8 p.m. now, almost 4 hours since they had left the guild to look for the Dragon Slayers. As per her original plan, they were to meet at the cathedral in the center of town at 8 to report their findings. It was with a small frown that she noted that she and Carla were the only two there.

When she said 8 p.m. she meant 8 p.m. _sharp_. Erza hated waiting; she made a point to show up to meetings or appointments at least fifteen minutes early and she damn well expected the same courtesy from others. If the other groups were more than two minutes late she would have to make sure to _teach_ them the value of punctuality.

"Oi, I'm here! I'm here!" A panicked, masculine voice sounded through the area.

She had to fight to keep the smirk off of her face. Gray was running towards her, Happy flying right beside him; clearly, they remembered her lessons from when they were growing up. As they neared her Gray slowed to a walk, panting slightly.

"I-I made it on time, right?"

She folded her arms across her chest plate. "Barely."

"Cut me some slack here! Flamebutt's house is in the middle of the freaking forest! It took us an hour to get there!" Gray was exasperated, most likely fearing for his health.

"That aside, what did you two find?" It was Carla who interjected, her impatience even larger than Erza's own.

"Nothing."He huffed. "It was a waste of a trip..."

Erza raised her eyebrow quizzically. "What do you mean, 'nothing'?"

"I mean there wasn't anything there that'd help us find them. There were signs of them being there earlier but no clues as to what they're doing now."

"Aye! There was some of Natsu's homemade curry in the fridge and the bed was messy." Happy interjected helpfully.

"The bed was messy?!" Both Erza and Carla were shocked. It couldn't be... They were too late...

"Oh, but the bed is usually messy. Natsu never cleans up after himself."

She stared at him blankly for a moment; the blue cat had almost given her a heart attack! Did he know what he had just implied? Was he purposefully playing dumb just to toy with them? Her stare turned into a hard glare but the cat seemed to be oblivious to it as he stretched lazily. She briefly considered grabbing him by the tail and swinging him around but, fortunately for the Exceed, Carla had taken the liberty of smacking him upside the head.

"We took a look around the East Forest too but the place is a damn maze. I have no idea how Natsu can find his way around; the stupid trees all look the same..." Gray's grumbling forced her back onto the topic at hand. "So, we've got nothing. What about you two?"

"I'm afraid we're in the same situation. Wendy's room at Fairy Hills was empty. No signs of them at the park, the harbor or the bakery either."

"... The bakery?" Gray was clearly confused. "Erza, you didn't happen to buy a cake while you were there... Did you?"

"I did. And?" She sent him a hard stare.

"Oh, n-no reason..."

Good. Gray knew better than to imply that she was goofing off on the job. Natsu and Wendy were Dragon Slayers with highly acute senses; it wasn't a stretch to think that they might have been drawn to the sweet strawberry aroma emanating from her favorite bakery. And besides, there was always time for strawberry cake. _Always_.

The sound of footsteps approaching diverted her from her thoughts, causing her to ready her most intense gaze. Juvia and Lucy were the last to check in and they were _five minutes_ late; clearly they needed her help with their time management skills.

"You're late." She announced in as stern a voice as she could muster.

"Huh, only you? Where's Lucy?" Gray's sudden question caused her to turn around to see only Juvia standing there. Erza had just had her most intimidating gaze ready for the two women; there would be no point if she couldn't get both of them.

"Juvia, what happened on your search? Where did Lucy go?"

"Juvia and Lucy searched Lucy's apartment, the hotel and the train station but didn't find anything. On our way back, though, we heard that Natsu and Wendy were headed to the eastern hills. Juvia and Lucy decided to split up; Juvia came to tell Gray-sama and Erza while Lucy went to scout the hills."

Finally, a lead! They made a smart decision, splitting the team up in order to cover more ground; Lucy, however, was in a dangerous position. The girl already had a run-in with the Dragon Slayers earlier... If, right after meeting, they were territorial enough to snap at their close friends, the destruction they would cause if they were interrupted now would be much, much worse. Lucy was a strong girl but she wouldn't be able to handle those two by herself.

"Juvia, how long ago was this?" There was a slight unease in her voice as she asked the question.

"Almost 30 minutes ago." The Water Mage answered.

"Do you know the way?" It was Carla this time, clearly itching to find Wendy.

"Yes. Juvia and Lucy split up at the eastern edge of town, they should be near there."

"Then let's go, already!" Carla spread her wings immediately, impatiently flying off to the eastern gate.

"Gray-sama, did Juvia do a good job?" Erza wasn't watching but she could hear the hope in the blue haired girl's voice.

"Uh... Sure." She narrowed her eyes as his face lit up suddenly. "You know what; I think you and me should head back to the guild hall and have a drink to celebrate!"

"Gray-sama! Do you really mean it?" She clasped her hands together, an excited blush on her face.

"Yeah! In fact, we should go right now!" He grabbed the ecstatic Juvia's arm and quickly tried to lead her away. "Well, Erza, I think you can handle it from here so we'll see you later!"

Her sword was out before he could take two steps. "You're not planning to skip out halfway through, are you?"

"Tch, damn it..." He stopped in his tracks, the gleaming steel only inches from his chest.

It was a nice try, really; using Juvia as an excuse to avoid having to trek across town. Making the Ice Mage spend his afternoon running all over Magnolia did make her feel slightly bad but she needed him around. Natsu as he was now would be impossible to reign in by herself, especially if she also had to deal with Wendy; it would take all four of them to separate the two Dragon Slayers should it come to that.

She mustered up the coldest voice she could. "That's enough playing around. Let's move."

"Alright, alright. Man, this sucks..." He was grumbling as he walked, clearly unhappy with the situation but with no choice but to comply.

Time was of the essence; almost ten minutes had passed since they had met up and it would take them at least another 30 to find Lucy and possibly the two Dragon Slayers. The longer this went on, the worse it would end.

There was no time to lose.

* * *

"**RRRAAAAWWWRRR!**" A loud roar echoed throughout the northwestern wilderness of Magnolia.

The small forest, normally a hotspot of activity for all manners of woodland creatures, was dreadfully silent. Any small mammals had long cleared out the area; a dangerous scent had passed through on the winds, warning them to find shelter from the impending storm.

And what a storm it was, all at the hands of a furious Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel was _pissed_. He had travelled halfway across the freaking town to put as much distance as possible between him and his fire and air-slinging counterparts. He had warned the damned matchstick to not do anything stupid. And what did he do? He went straight for the girl and did exactly what the Metal Dragon Slayer was trying to avoid.

The mixing of scents; It was so powerful that he could smell it from the opposite side of town and it was making him _angry_. That damned Natsu... The next time he saw that stupid mass of pink hair he would make sure to beat him to a pulp. There was going to be hell to pay for getting him so damned worked up.

With another roar and the swing of his arm, a tree was felled with a loud **THUD**.

For now, he would have to make do with some impromptu landscaping.

* * *

"You guys! Over here!" A familiar voice called.

Erza almost sighed in relief as she saw the source of the voice: a quite unharmed Lucy standing near a lone tree. The girl looked slightly apprehensive, but otherwise normal.

Carla wasted no time in questioning her. "Did you find them, Lucy?"

"I did. You see that hill there?" The group's gaze followed her extended arm to where it pointed: a grassy hill some ways away. "They're up there."

"What are they doing? Is Wendy alright?"

"I... didn't get too close but Wendy looked fine. They're, uh..." She trailed off, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

Erza narrowed her eyes. "What are they doing, Lucy?"

"They're... sleeping."

The group shared a confused glance. "Sleeping?"

"It's probably better for you to see for yourselves. Come on."

And with that the group followed the blonde as she started towards the hill, some confused murmuring taking place as they walked. They were sleeping? Of all the things to do... Sleeping? They may very well have had a tiring day but to come all the way out here just to take a nap...

Not even a quarter way up the hill did two familiar figures come into view: the blue and pink heads of hair were unmistakable; a stark contrast to the deep green grass that surrounded them. At the sight of the two prone figures Erza readied her sternest face; she was going to wake them, and when she did she could not show any weakness. _Right now this isn't Natsu and Wendy,_ she reminded herself, _these are two highly dangerous dragons._

Steeling herself, she signaled the group to stand back and ready themselves as she approached.

Carefully...

Quietly...

One step at a time...

She had her hand on the hilt of her sword; come fireballs or tornadoes, she was ready for whatever was about to happen...

... Or so she thought. As she came to stand directly in front of the two, her jaw almost dropped to the floor. She expected an angry and irrational Natsu; a whirlwind of fire to spring up as soon as she got close. What she got was Natsu and Wendy sleeping soundly, locked in an embrace.

Natsu was on his side, arms wrapped protectively around Wendy, who slept facing him with her head resting on his shoulder. At a sudden, gentle breeze, the small girl clutched at Natsu's vest, snuggling up to his warmth and nuzzling her head deeper into his chest.

It was _adorable_.

Erza was torn between waking them and watching them sleep. It was just too damned cute! There was no way those two were capable of mass destruction... Or that's what she would have liked to think. She had witnessed first-hand the power that the two Dragon Slayers possessed; she could not allow herself to let down her guard now!

Against the call of her instincts, she spoke quietly. "Natsu..."

Her only response was the gentle breathing of the two mages.

"Natsu." She tried again, with more force.

At the mention of his name, the pink haired teen rolled over carefully; though he was half-asleep he took care not to wake the girl beside him. He sat up, watching her sleepily. She met his gaze with an apprehensive look. He yawned. Her hand dropped from her sword hilt. He stretched and proceeded to lay back down on the grass.

"Gimme five more minutes, Erza..." And just like that, he was back in dreamland.

Her heart was _melting_. It had been years since she had seen Natsu act so... innocent. The sight of the two lying there peacefully brought back memories from their childhood: a young Natsu cradling Happy in his arms as they dozed in the guild hall, Natsu and Gray passed out by the riverbank after a fistfight, Natsu being carried home by Gildarts after he snuck some vodka from the bar. Natsu, it seemed, had found someone else to cling to while he slept; the sight of it made her heart soar.

She couldn't help the smile on her face as she watched the two. They just looked so precious together... How could she even think of breaking them up?

_Breaking them up._ Right. She was here to protect Wendy's innocence, not to fawn over their sleeping forms. She had woken Natsu up once and he hadn't tried to kill her... That meant that he was back to normal, and if that was the case...

"Natsu, when I say it's time to wake up, I mean _now._ Or do I have to remind you about how impolite it is to keep people waiting?"

"I'm up! I'm up! Don't punish me!" The panicked look on his face put her fears to rest. This was indeed the regular Natsu.

She smiled inwardly as he scrambled to his feet. The pride that hit her at that moment was something she revelled in; she was a _damn_ good teacher. Hell, if the time ever came that she could no longer be a part of Fairy Tail, she would happily become a school teacher and impart her wisdom to the next generation. Miss Scarlet, fourth grade teacher. Professor Scarlet, PhD in Wumbology. The life of a teacher was sounding better and better...

"You oaf! Do you know how much trouble you've put us through?!" A sudden exclamation brought her out of her thoughts. From beside her an irate Carla floated, arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.

"We've been looking for you two all day! I've been worried sick about Wendy, after you two just up and left without saying a word! I had no idea where you were, what you were doing... You even scared poor Lucy half to death!"

"Uh... Sorry?" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly; no matter how many times Erza had done it when they were kids, he would never get used to being lectured as soon as he woke up.

At Carla's incredulous look Erza took a step forward, placing a hand on the white Exceed's head in order to placate her. She needed that rant and she would have more time to lecture them later, but for now there was a more important issue to discuss.

"Natsu," she began, "what did you and Wendy do today?"

"Hmm... We went to my house, I cooked us up a snack, we explored the East Forest and then we came here and watched the town. I guess we fell asleep afterwards." He counted on his fingers as he listed the activities of the day. "It was a lot of fun! Have you seen the view from up there? I couldn't believe there was such a nice place in town!"

She gave him a cold stare. "Anything else?"

"Uhh..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"She's asking you if you guys did it, Candlestick!" Gray's jeer cut through the air.

"Did what, Ice Princess?" Natsu narrowed his eyes at the Ice Make user.

"Are you dumb? Do I have to spell it out for you, Volcano Breath?"

"At least I'm not as dumb as a guy who can't keep his clothes on!"

"Aww, crap! When did that happen?!"

"Bahahah! What an idiot!"

"You won't be laughing when I freeze that stupid look off of your face!"

"Come over here and try it, you pervert!"

"**ENOUGH!**"

Erza's command quickly silenced the two. Seriously, a minute had barely passed since Natsu had returned to normal and they were already picking a fight with each other... Gray's blunt question had given her the answer she needed though. Indeed, Natsu and Wendy hadn't done anything. He didn't have the need to "relieve" himself after all; spending the day with Wendy was enough to calm him down... It was sort of sweet, really.

That didn't stop her from intimidating the poor boy, however. "Listen, Natsu. It's getting late. You're going to take Wendy home to Fairy Hills and then head straight home..." She paused for a moment, scrutinizing him with a steely gaze. "Tomorrow when you come to the guild, we're going to have a _talk_ about your behavior as of late. Do you understand?"

"A-Aye sir!" The shaky confirmation and the terror in his eyes was all she needed.

Indeed, there would be _consequences_ for worrying them so much. And when that was done, she would have to teach Natsu proper dating etiquette; no more disappearing in the middle of the day if he wanted to spend time with Wendy.

She turned to face the small group behind her. "It seems we were worried over nothing."

"Hmph." Gray grunted. "You got that right. I told you all there was nothing to worry about..."

"Aye!" Happy was right beside him, nodding smugly.

She bowed her head slightly. "You were right, Gray. I apologize for forcing you on a wild goose chase. Allow me to make it up to you; I invite you to spend the night at Lucy's place."

"Wait, what?!" The Celestial Spirit Summoner was shocked at her sudden inclusion.

His face lit up immediately. "Sleepover at Lucy's? Sounds good!"

"Of course, I insist you come as well, Juvia. There's more than enough room for all of us at Lucy's."

"Juvia can't allow Gray-sama and her love rival to sleep under the same roof alone together! Juvia will gladly spend the night at Lucy's!"

"Hey, you guys! You can't just invite yourselves over to my home!" The poor girl was shouting but nobody was paying her any mind.

"I call sleeping on Lucy's bed!" Gray wasted no time in rushing down the hill.

"Gray-sama! Allow Juvia to share the bed with you!" Juvia followed immediately after.

Lucy sighed in resignation, rubbing her temples tiredly. The sensation only lasted a moment, however, before she gasped suddenly, sprinting down the hill with a panicked look on her face. "Hey, you two! Wait up! You better not look at the papers on my desk!"

"Hmph. I've had enough of you people for today. I'm headed home." The white cat sighed tiredly.

"Carla! It's not good for a cute girl to walk around by herself at night! Let me walk with you!" And with that, the two small cats floated off towards the town, leaving only Erza and the two Dragon Slayers.

After watching the three run off towards town, she turned to look at the two who remained. Natsu sat quietly, watching Wendy sleep with an adorable curiosity.

"Remember, Natsu. I want Wendy home within the hour." One last time, for good measure.

"Yes, ma'am!" Excellent.

It was only after she turned and started down the hill after the rest of her friends that she allowed a smile to grace her features.

Those two were just so damn cute.

* * *

**More Notes:** So the next chapter is going to be the last. For sure this time. With this chapter, Erza and company's involvement is finished so all that's left is dealing with the Dragon Slayers, which I know you've all been waiting for. Damn, I'm excited too.

I'll be honest and say I'm using this fic partly as an experiment; I'm trying to write from the perspectives of a variety of different characters. I think it adds to the story overall to see if from different points of view and getting inside the characters' heads is pretty fun. I'm trying to be as faithful as I can to the source material but I'm not sure how I'm doing. I think I did a great job with Lucy and Gray's points of view but how about Erza or Wendy? I'm not a woman, and I'm not a teenager anymore; writing from Wendy's perspective is hard, man... If you guys could comment on that aspect of my writing I would really appreciate it.

And now for some responses!

FaiRy-TaiL-MaGe202: I'm really glad you liked it! Chapter 3 was a tough one for me; I wanted to portray their relationship as innocent, playful and fun but also have that instinctual drive playing a role. The Water Dragon thing took all of my brain power to come up with but I think it really captured the feeling well. Also, I did take the inspiration from that idea from another popular anime... I won't say what it is, but if anyone can guess then I'll be impressed.

As for Gruvia: It's pretty funny that this is turning you into a fan of them because when I wrote this that wasn't my intention at all. In fact, I don't even like Gruvia! My problem with Juvia is the same one that I think Gray has: She's a nice girl, beautiful and a reliable ally, but the stalking is a huge turnoff. Like I've said before, though, I'm trying to represent every character as best I can and I think that's how she would act. It would be great if some Juvia fans could come along and tell me "yay" or "nay" to my characterization of her.

Really, I'm trying to put something for everyone in this story, regardless of my personal tastes.

JustSomeOne29: Thanks! Like I keep saying, I'm trying to represent each character as faithfully and generously as possible; I really feel like Gray would say and act like that if this was to actually happen. And, as of this chapter the immediate crisis has been averted. I wonder how I did...?

So, if you're still reading this you're an awesome person. Why not type up a review below? It really helps me out and for every review I get I send a dollar to the "Buy The Wumbologist Lunch" fund.

Go for it! You know you want to!

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **So here it is, the final chapter. I'd like to give special thanks to my buddy Type-0 for leaving an awesome review for my last chapter. Also, I'd like to thank SnowTime and LuffyDragneelTheGreatFighter  for their encouragement; you three are awesome and I really appreciate it!

* * *

**It's Just That Time of Year Again**

Chapter 5

By The Wumbologist

* * *

**THUD**

Fried's eyebrow twitched.

**THUD**

He looked up from the magazine he was reading and let out a frustrated grunt.

**CRASH**

He had come home to the apartment he shared with Laxus and Bixlow expecting a nice and quiet evening; he would crack open a bottle of wine, light some candles and sit down with the latest issue of _Sorcerer's Weekly_. What he didn't expect, however, was the loud and constant thumping sounds echoing in the distance. Fried was a patient man, but the earth-shaking sounds had been going on for almost an hour; it was impossible to concentrate on his reading and it was getting on his nerves.

**THUMP**

Alright. Enough is enough! He grabbed his sword, heading for his bedroom door. He had been sitting quietly, hoping that whatever was happening outside of town would cease but this was getting ridiculous. It sounded like a monster was rampaging throughout the countryside; whatever it was, it was going to stop. _Now_.

When he entered the living room, he was mildly surprised to see an annoyed Laxus throwing on his coat. Oh, he had been around the Lightning Dragon Slayer long enough to recognize what the twitching of his eyebrows and the clenching of his fist meant.

He had to ask, though. "Lord Laxus, where are you going at this hour?"

"I'm going to pay a visit to our _neighbor_; that bastard almost knocked down my speaker system." He emphasized the word with a startling ferocity.

**CRASH**

Fried watched as frustration crept onto Laxus' features. Indeed, his music was the most important thing to the blonde; he never went anywhere without his prized headphones. Whether he was fighting, drinking at the guild or relaxing at home, he always had a rock and roll song blasting in his ears. Not only had the earth-shaking sounds interrupted his precious listening time, the vibrations had almost ruined his expensive sound system! Fried could only imagine what would have happened if the valuable speaker set had been demolished...

"Don't wait up." And with that, Laxus made his way to the door.

"Right. Please be careful." At the affirmative grunt he received, Fried made his way back to the confines of his room.

He walked over to the window, watching as his beloved leader made his way down the street towards the sounds of destruction. When he was out of sight, he let out a small laugh before grabbing his magazine and taking a seat on his chair.

**THUD**

With the leader of the Thunder God Tribe on the case, whatever it was that was making that racket would be silenced within fifteen minutes.

* * *

Natsu stretched, letting out a contented sigh before lazily falling onto his back. Man, he hadn't slept so well in a while! This place was incredible; the calm breeze caressed his hair, the lush grass tickled at his skin and the night sky shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings with a luminescent glow. This peaceful hill was the perfect place for a nap; no wonder Wendy liked it so much!

He turned his head to watch the blue-haired girl napping contentedly beside him, grinning as he studied her face. Erza had told him to take Wendy home soon but they had time; it wouldn't hurt to hang around a bit longer... Maybe shut his eyes for a few minutes... The grass was _so_ comfortable.

He took a big breath, letting the natural scent of area fill his nostrils. There was a mild aroma wafting from the grass; a sign that it was growing healthily. The wind carried traces of sweet pollen; no doubt from the variety of plant life that grew in the area. At the top of the hill, the distinct and salty smell of sweat lingered, something that caused him to scrunch his nose in disgust.

_Wait, isn't that my sweat?_ The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

He sat up, a curious look plastered on his face. It wasn't just his sweat either; it was mixed in with someone else's. He sniffed the air again. It had to be Wendy's. But wait, they hadn't fought, or ran around or anything that would have caused them to sweat... Had they? He ran over the events of the day in his head again: First they had gone to his house where he showed her around, then they fooled around in the East Forest, then they had come to the hill and watched the view and then...

There was something missing. Between the time they enjoyed the view and the time Erza woke him up... When had they started their nap? They were halfway down the hill; if they had fallen asleep right after shouldn't they have been at the top?

He took a few steps up the hill, following the distinct scent to where it pooled at the summit. _There's my sweat, Wendy's sweat and...Blood?!_ He sniffed at the air, alarmed. Indeed, there was the faint, metallic odor of blood mixed in. It had to be a small amount; the scent was barely there and if it had been a large pool he would have gagged at the coppery stench.

Pointing his nose towards the top of the hill he inhaled once more. There was the mixture again: sweat, blood and... something familiar; it was on the tip of his tongue. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, listing off the possibilities. _Flowers?_ Nah. _Citrus?_ Nope. _Saliva?_ Not quite.

_Alright Natsu, one more time!_ Sweat, blood and... That musky and piquant odor; the sweet yet organic mixture of sweat and blood. Of flowers, citrus, saliva, sweat, nature, fire and the sky. Of his unique smell and the alluring aroma that Wendy gave off.

His jaw dropped as realization hit him. It all came flooding back: the moaning and growling, the warmth, the tangled bodies, the _pure ecstasy_ and the sweet, sweet release.

Indeed, the hole in his memory had been filled and suddenly the Fire Dragon Slayer was feeling very, _very_ warm.

So that was why their friends came all the way out here. _This_ was what the snowflake and Erza were talking about. Miraculously she hadn't noticed the bite marks on Wendy's neck, or the claw marks on his back. Hell, he was pretty sure that the torn remains of Wendy's underwear were being scattered around on the breeze from when he had gotten impatient... An unlucky gust of wind carrying a piece of the cloth would have meant a swift end at the hands of the Titania. He looked up at the sky, silently thanking the God that was watching out for him; really, the fact that they had managed to clothe themselves afterward must have been divine intervention...

Sweat trickled down his forehead. His mouth was dry. His face was hot. He and Wendy had just... The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he got. He glanced quickly at the blue-haired girl napping peacefully only steps away; he had to wake her up and take her home. Would she remember? What if she did...? What would happen then? Would she hate him? What if...?

Bah! This _sucks_. Worrying was _not_ his style. He was a man who followed his instincts and didn't think too much and damn it, it had worked out for him so far! He had to tackle this the only way he knew how: head on.

If only it was as easy as punching someone in the face.

"Hey... Wendy..." The feeling of apprehension hanging over him caused his voice to come out as a hoarse whisper.

Swallowing hard, he moved closer, kneeling down at her side and placing a hand on her shoulder. He shook her gently, his face growing hotter from the erotic images that popped up at the feeling of her soft skin.

"Wendy, wake up." When she began to stir, he quickly removed his hand and watched her warily.

The young girl stretched, letting out a cute yawn and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before sitting up and facing him. "Mmm... Natsu-san? When did we...?" She trailed off, a look of concentration evident on her face.

_Oh, crap._ He could tell by the look on her face; she had noticed the hole in her memories a lot quicker than he did... It wouldn't be long before she figured it out. He had to say something, _anything_, to take her mind off of it.

"You know, it's getting late. We shou-"

A startled gasp cut him off. "N-N-Natsu-san, we..."

_She remembered._ Her face was the picture of embarrassment; her face burned a scarlet red, her hands were raised to cover her cheeks and her eyes stared down at the grass, searching for _anything_ to distract her. The pink-haired boy was at a loss for words. Never before did he have to deal with something like _this_; the head-on method was failing him miserably and he had no idea what to do.

"Yeah. We did." So he nodded dumbly, watching her for a response.

The awkward silence that ensued felt like an eternity. Seconds passed with the only sound coming from the gentle breeze that blew in the area. He had to say _something_. _Damn it, Natsu, why can't you say anything?!_

"... H-How did you feel?" It was Wendy who spoke up first, surprising him.

How did he feel...? How _did_ he feel? Well, like an asshole and a pervert. He had taken advantage of her and now he couldn't even say anything to her face. What kind of guy was he, to force himself on such a young and innocent girl?

He studied her quietly. Her hands toyed with the hem of her dress. Her face was still the shade of a tomato. She snuck glances at him from the corner of her eye. The Sky Dragon Slayer was waiting for a response... _THINK, NATSU! THINK!_

He closed his eyes, picturing the day they had spent together in his mind: He had boasted about his adventures and she had watched him in wonder. _Her brown eyes are beautiful_. He had chased her around the fishing hole. _Her smile is so bright. _They had talked about their cats, missions, magic, food, life, the universe and everything in between. _I want to spend more time with her._

He furrowed his brows. His heart was beating faster. His stomach was doing back flips. What _was_ this feeling? His thoughts were suddenly drifting to the blue-haired girl and all he could concentrate on were her features. The way her fingers intertwined with his. The feeling of her lips pressed against his own. The warmth of her arms wrapped around his neck. He had felt content. Safe. Happy. Wendy wasn't just his good friend and precious nakama, she was something... different now.

Her shaky voice brought him back to the present. "I-I'm so sorry, Natsu-san. When I kissed you I didn't... I didn't mean for things to go so far. I just wanted..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

He could see the wetness; the salty tears threatening to spill over. She was _crying_, and it was all his fault... "Maybe we should just forget about today..."

_What?! Why?_ The memories were etched firmly in his heart. There was no way he could forget! He didn't _want_ to forget! And something told him Wendy didn't want to forget either. He felt it: the compulsion to be by her side, to scoop her up in his arms and dry her tears. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him and the sensation almost made him laugh out of sheer relief. His instincts were back in full force; thinking wasn't doing anything for him, he needed to act! No more complicated stuff! It was time to rely on his guts!

"Forget about today? Don't even joke about that." At her surprised look he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"All the time we spent together, the laughs we had... You wanna just pretend like it didn't happen? No way, Wendy. Today was a blast. All of it."

"But... We did something bad, Natsu-san; we let our instincts take us over."

The unease that hung over him was gone; he gave her his trademarked grin. "Why is it a bad thing? I follow my instincts all the time and they've never let me down before. And who cares, anyways? What everyone else thinks doesn't matter to me; right now, all I know is I'm feeling amazing and it's all thanks to you!"

Those words had flowed from his mouth naturally and easily and carried the truth. The yelling in the back of his head, the force that compelled him to act, the rhythm of his heart; it was simple and easy to follow. Really, he should've just listened to his instincts from the start; thinking sucked and made things way too complicated.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. "Listen, Wendy. Can you hear that?" Her ear was pressed against his chest, the rhythmic beating softly whispering into her ear. "Right now, my heart is telling me to never let you go. I dunno what this feeling is, but the one thing I do know is that I want to be close to you."

His smile grew even wider as he felt a slender pair of arms wrap around his midsection. "I feel the same way." Wendy held on to him tightly, rubbing her eyes against his vest in an attempt to dry them. With a small sniff, she raised her eyes to meet his. "Natsu-san, I-"

"I know, Wendy." He cut her off gently, touching his forehead to hers. Closing his eyes, he softly rubbed their noses together; an affectionate gesture that he and Igneel had done many times during his childhood.

Natsu was never good with words. Instead, he was a man who expressed himself physically. Words were hard to decipher; they often carried deep meanings and hidden connotations and he just couldn't be bothered to read into them. Actions, on the other hand, were easy to understand. A change in facial expression, a twitch of the hand, a clenched fist, a sincere smile; Natsu could read the emotions that actions carried like a book.

Indeed, he knew what she was about to say; recent events had made it perfectly clear. It was in the way she held onto him tightly, the way she planted kisses all over his face and neck, the way she stroked his back, even in the way her chocolate brown eyes met his own. He expressed all of his affections for the young girl in that intimate action, and he knew she would understand.

Minutes passed in the comfortable silence and tender snuggle; the only sounds traveling through the area being the contented breaths and the soft zephyrs that flowed throughout the land. Eventually, Wendy broke the hold, looking at him with an adorably serious expression.

"Natsu-san, we can't do _that_ anymore." The sudden declaration caught him by surprise. Why couldn't they? It was good. _Really_ good. She enjoyed it as much as he did, didn't she?

Her face was scarlet but her eyes were firm. _Scarlet?_ _Scarlet... Erza Scarlet... ERZA!_ Crap, that was right. If she found out she would kill him. _Literally_. He had completely forgotten her sex education courses from their younger days... He and Wendy were too young to be doing that kind of stuff; it was because of something about society and biology and emotions that he didn't quite understand but was forced to remember at sword point.

Well, whatever. "As long as I can keep hanging out with you, it's fine with me." He gave her an enthusiastic grin in response to her relieved smile.

The smile quickly dropped from his face, however, as he thought back to Erza. Her words rang in his ears: _"I want her home within the hour"_. Just how much time had passed since she had left...?

The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. He was already in enough trouble; he was promised a _talk_ with the scarlet-haired beauty and that was more than enough for him. "Say, Wendy. Let me walk you home; we've been out for a while."

"Ah! You're right! Carla must be worried!" She stood up, brushing some strands of grass from her dress before starting down the hill.

The Fire Dragon Slayer stood up himself, watching his more-than-a-friend make her way down the hill towards the town. At the feeling of the gentle breeze blowing behind him he turned to give one more look at the scenery: the magnificent structures of Magnolia town loomed in the distance, the stars shone as brightly as ever, the water of the sleepy harbor sparkled with the reflection of the moon and the wind was... carrying something towards him?

He reached out a hand to grab the object out of the air. Opening his hand, he turned it over and inspected it. It was a tattered piece of cloth, torn up and slightly damp. He held it up to his nose and took a small whiff. It was that musky-yet-sweet scent from before! _Wendy..._ The winds had brought him the remains of Wendy's underwear!

"Natsu-san!" Her voice called up to him from the base of the hill.

With a huge grin on his face, he pocketed the cloth and turned to race down the hill and catch up with the younger Dragon Slayer. It was a perfect reminder of the day he had today; the sight and scents it carried would ignite his memory whenever he looked at it.

Excitement bubbled up within him as he let out a carefree chuckle.

This was going straight on his wall!

* * *

**BOOM**

The small forested area was in terrible shape. Debris was everywhere; tree stumps occupied the area, leaves, branches and smashed fruits littered the ground and solid wooden trunks lay, ugly gashes and cuts marring their otherwise beautiful forms. The area was eerily silent, save for the thunderous roaring and crashing that echoed not too far away.

**THUD**

"Tch." What a pain.

Laxus rubbed the back of his neck tiredly as he walked towards the source. The sounds of destruction were very close. He could feel the malicious aura surrounding the area. He was closing in. It was less than a minute later that he entered a small clearing; it was in a half-destroyed state, the remains of once-proud oak trees littered the ground and a lone dark-haired figure stood at the opposite end.

"Huh, I thought something stunk."

At the jeer, the dark hair growled menacingly and turned around to face him. It was as he thought; that idiot Gajeel was the one making the damn racket... He could smell the stench of steel and fury all the way from his room.

"Geheheh..." The laugh that resounded through the area did nothing to remove the annoyed expression from Laxus' face. "Looks like someone's watching out for me; I was just thinking I wanted to beat somebody's face in... Yours'll do just fine."

"Pathetic." The Lightning Dragon Slayer was unaffected.

"Huh?" Confusion was evident in Gajeel's face.

"Is this all you first-generation Dragon Slayers can do? Let your damn smell off around town and then destroy things because you can't get any? You damn brats let your instincts get the better of you; it's weak. It's pathetic. You're nuisances; all of you."

The roar that the Metal Dragon Slayer let out was filled with pure fury and frustration. Laxus smirked slightly; better to have the anger directed at him than at the environment. He was going to end this quick... If the city council found out that a Fairy Tail member was behind this then the old man would get a hefty bill and might have a heart attack; that wouldn't do at all.

"Before I tear that smirk off your face, let me ask you something..." Laxus remained silent, waiting for the question. "How come you aren't affected by all this mating season crap?"

Well, that hadn't been what he was expecting. He folded his arms, head tilted thoughtfully before responding. "I'm artificial."

Gajeel stared at him blankly.

"That... _really_ pisses me off!" With that declaration, he charged. "I hope you're ready to die, you damned lightbulb!"

Laxus let out a short chuckle before throwing off his coat, allowing his scintillating lightning to crackle along his body.

"Come at me with everything you've got, you mutt! I'll teach you what it means to be a true Dragon Slayer!"

_The poor bastard_. He was artificial; he didn't have it as bad as the Metal Dragon Slayer did but he understood very well what Gajeel and the other two were going through. Puberty hadn't been the best time of his life; hell, he was glad he would never have to go through _that_ frustration again.

They clashed, the force of the impact sending both Dragon Slayers back a few meters. With another loud roar, Gajeel charged again, his arm transformed into a fearsome blade. Laxus inhaled a large amount of air, readying his powerful magic.

"**Roar of the Lightning Dragon!**" He let loose, the attack enveloping the rampaging dragon and sending him back once more.

Really, this was the best way to help. Absorbing Gajeel's anger and beating his frustrations out of him; old man Makarov had done it for him, it was the least he could do for Gajeel.

As Gajeel charged again, Laxus couldn't help the smile on his face.

Damn, he was such a nice guy.

* * *

**More Notes:** So there it is. I wrapped up Natsu and Wendy's story as well as Gajeel's. Damn, that was pretty fluffy :). I have Sable1212 to thank for giving me the Laxus idea. S/he brought up the suggestion that I should mention Laxus, and that got me thinking about how I wanted to include him. Originally I was going to just give him a few lines in chapter 2 and be done with it, but I think this works out a LOT better.

On that note, I'm a little disappointed at the amount of reviews I got last chapter. I was hoping for some more feedback; I got a lot of views but I have no idea what you guys really liked about it, or if you liked it at all. This is the last chapter so I'd really, really appreciate any thoughts you have. The plot, the writing style, the characters, ANY comments are welcome. I'm not asking for an essay, or even a paragraph. ONE sentence that says "I really loved it!" or "I think you could've done x" absolutely brightens my day and is much more important than you'd think.

Take Sable1212 for instance; two sentences and a simple suggestion to add something about Laxus and it transformed into the ending you see now. Real Personal Trooper Type-0 talked about the concept of innocence, which eventually led me to extending the story. Your reviews are important and can have a direct and positive effect on the story, so please, even if its only a few words let me know what you think... Especially you guys who followed/favorited but haven't said anything yet!

For those of you who have been with me so far, reading and reviewing: thank you! Have some milk and cookies! For those of you who have favorited/followed: thanks! Have some milk! For everyone else who viewed: I appreciate the support; I've set aside some milk and cookies for you for when you review.

**One more thing!** If you're looking for a really, really good read, please check out Tales of a Dragon Slayer Love Thief: The Angel's Paint! by DraconianAscendant. It's a fantastic, amazingly-written story about Laxus, Mirajane and a host of other lesser-represented characters who get caught up in an art heist. It's ongoing and is definitely worth a read!


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